Many survivors of childhood trauma do not seek treatment until they are well into adulthood. Often, their presenting complaints may not directly reflect a childhood trauma, but rather the outcome of a lifelong psychological reaction to the trauma. For instance, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse may seek treatment as an adult for a variety of issues, such as depression, alcohol or drug abuse, or insomnia, which may appear unrelated to the abuse.

In this Discussion, you will analyze the long-term effects of childhood trauma on survivors’ mental and physical well-being.

To prepare for this Discussion:Review this week’s resources related to Childhood Trauma, focusing on topics such as child physical and sexual abuse, the importance of trauma diagnosis, and prevention/treatment programs.Pay particular attention to how exposure to a childhood trauma might result in a transcrisis state.Consider the destructive behaviors that survivors of childhood sexual abuse might exhibit in the absence of appropriate aftercare.Reflect on psychological and physical characteristics associated with neglected children. Think about how such characteristics might be indicative of a transcrisis state.Think about survivors’ cognitive impairments, emotional reactions, and behaviors associated with exposure to family violence. Also, consider how survivors’ relationships are affected by exposure to family violence in childhood.Consider the long-term psychological and physical effects of child abuse on adult survivors.Identify a specific type of childhood trauma (e.g., child physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or exposure to family violence). Think about how exposure to this type of trauma might result in a transcrisis state. Also, reflect on various behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and psychosomatic characteristics of survivors that might be indicative of a transcrisis state.